Sticks and Stones[note 1] is the debut studio album by English singer Cher Lloyd. It was released on 4 November 2011,through Syco and Sony Music.[note 2] Lloyd co-wrote five songs and worked with various producers and songwriters for her first full-length release,including the Runners,Kevin Rudolf,and Savan Kotecha,among others. Lloyd herself called the album a "jukebox".
The album was preceded by the lead single,"Swagger Jagger",which was released on 29 July 2011. The song peaked at number two on the Irish Singles Chart and topped the Scottish and the UK Singles Chart. "With Ur Love" was confirmed as the second single from the album and was released on 30 October 2011,and became Lloyd's second consecutive top five single in both countries peaking at number four and five in the United Kingdom and Ireland. "Want U Back",featuring American rapper Astro,was released as the third single on 19 February 2012.
Sticks + Stones debuted at number four in the United Kingdom,selling 55,668 copies in its first week,and at number nine in the United States,selling around 33,000 copies. The album received mixed reviews from music critics.
Background and marketing
After the final of the seventh series of The X Factor,Lloyd signed a record deal with Simon Cowell's label,Syco Music.[6] American songwriter Autumn Rowe and a producer RedOne were soon rumoured to be working on Lloyd's then-upcoming debut studio album.[7][8] On 28 July 2011,Lloyd previewed five tracks from the album during a Ustream session,including tracks featuring Busta Rhymes,Mike Posner,Ghetts,Mic Righteous and Dot Rotten.[9] In the United States,Lloyd signed in Epic Records.[10] To promote Sticks and Stones,she embarked on her first concert tour,the Sticks and Stones Tour,beginning in March 2012 and visiting various venues across the United Kingdom.[11]
Singles
On 15 June 2011,the album's lead single "Swagger Jagger" was leaked onto the internet.[12] It was released officially on 29 July,[13] reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart on 7 August.[14] It was certicified Silver by BPI on 13 July 2022.[15]Sticks and Stones' second single was "With Ur Love",which features vocals from American singer Mike Posner.[16] Released on 28 October 2011,[17] it peaked at number five in Ireland,[18] number four in the United Kingdom[19] and number three in Scotland.[20] A music video of the US version was filmed and released through her YouTube channel.[21]
"Want U Back" was chosen as the third official single from the record;it was released on 3 February 2012.[22] While the British single version of the song features vocals from American rapper Astro,[23] US version of the track features Astro as well as American rapper Snoop Dogg.[24] The music video for "Want U Back" was directed by Parris,[25] and its solo version serves as Lloyd's debut single as well as the first from the album in the United States.[26] The song sold around 2,000,000 copies,[27] being certified double-platinum in RIAA.[28] "Oath",produced by Dr. Luke and Cirkut,was released as the fourth and final single on 2 October.[29] It features American singer and rapper Becky G,who originally wrote the song.[30] The single sold around 500,000 copies in the United States,being certified Gold.[31]
Other songs
Lloyd released the studio version for her cover of Shakespears Sister's "Stay",which was included in the album's deluxe edition.[32] "Dub on the Track",featuring Mic Righteous,Dot Rotten and Ghetts,received a music video,being released on 13 December 2012.[33]
Critical reception for Sticks + Stones has been mixed. At Metacritic,which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics,the album received an average score of 51,based on 8 reviews,indicating "mixed or average reviews".[34]
AllMusic gave the album three out of five stars,they said:"When Lloyd stops trying so hard,she's actually a pretty compelling pop star. "Want U Back" and "End Up Here" are both infectious examples of cutesy pure pop that recall Britney Spears" adding "At times,Sticks + Stones sounds like such a calculated effort to copy everything that's hot in 2011 that it's likely to feel utterly irrelevant by the time the clock strikes 12 on New Year's Eve."[35]BBC Music gave the album a positive review,they said:"Cher has a natural and charismatic vocal presence throughout" and ultimately called it "A sassy,splashy modern pop album that's much better than its dodgy lead single".[42]Digital Spy awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars,they said:"Want U Back","With Ur Love","Playa Boi" and "Grow Up" are all tracks worthy of downloading,and went on to praise "Dub on the Track" as "loaded with attitude that few could pull off".[2]
Virgin Media gave the album 4 out of 5 stars,they said:"Sticks + Stones is a very pleasant shock. It's sparky and restless and sustains Lloyd's mini rapping firebrand/cute crooner aesthetic through a quickfire run of 10 top-notch songs."[41]NME gave the album 5 out of 10,they said:'Grow Up',a grossly irritating slice of tweenish ragga-pop driven home with are-we-there-yet insistency,still-hideous 'Swagger Jagger' and bulldozing dubstep territory on 'Dub on the Track' but when Sticks + Stones stops charging about the place,there's evidence to suggest Cher is actually quite good at this pop malarkey. 'Want U Back' is a sassy bit of bubble-drunk pop,while 'End Up Here' finds Cher adopting a Beyoncé-aping vocal style with not-at-all-bad results.[39]
Entertainment Weekly also gave the album a positive review,awarded it a B grade. They wrote "With her manic lowbrow sass –tiresome at length but lovable on singles like Want U Back –she makes these street-laced pop tracks her own in Sticks &Stones". Discussing Lloyd herself,they said she "has enough charisma for both sides of the Atlantic". They also declared "Swagger Jagger" and "Want U Back" the best tracks.[36]Glamour said that "While Sticks &Stones isn't an album that will change the world,its radio-ready dance-pop and high-spirited energy is harmless and infectious enough to earn her an army of new fans in America",and laid heavy praise on "Oath" and "Behind the Music".[43]
Commercial performance
In the United Kingdom,Stick + Stones entered the UK Albums Chart at number four behind new releases of Susan Boyle,Florence and the Machine and Michael Bublé,selling 55,668 copies in its opening week.[44] As of September 2013,it was certified Gold by BPI for shipments of 100,000 copies.[45]Sticks and Stones debuted at number nine with 31,000 copies sold in the United States,on the chart dated 20 October 2012.[46] It also debuted at number seven in Ireland.[47]
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